Of Witches and Hunters
by 0000000ooooo0
Summary: A war between the White and Black Witches ends with the near annihilation of the White Witches. Arthur, a survivor of the massacre, must fulfill his promise to ensure the continued survival of the White Witches... but he didn't expect to find himself in a place that would put everything he had on the test.


Chapter 1

"School of Hunter"

_Silence hung in the air of the dimmed forest; neither the slightest sound of the creatures nor the gentle rustling of wind could__ b__e heard. The ancient__ t__rees stood utterly still as if no leaf dared to fall as chills crept through the ground._

_Amidst this, a cloak covered figure leant against the tree, panting heavily as he t__ried __to regain his breath. Slowly, he slid down to the ground. Sweat trickled down his hooded face where a pair of tired emerald eyes glowed __faintly._

_He could feel himself trembling__ a__nd the seething pain in his limbs made him flinch when he attempted to stretch it. After the long hours of endless running, he could finally rest even just for a little while. He was sure that they wouldn't be able to follow them here, not with the enchanted forest protecting them. _

_Still, he couldn't be certain, it's just a matter of time before they will be discover and the little bundle he carried in his arms was his only reason to keep moving forward. _

_He took a few deep breaths and let his body relax along with his mind. But even as he tried to calm down, to forget and force himself to believe that it was just a dream, images kept flashing in his mind, reliving the moments he had been through in__ t__he place he used to call home._

_Raging__ f__lames engulf the palace walls, igniting the tapestries and ornaments. They crept across the white marble floor where the slaughtered bodies of both men and women piled into a mass of rotting flesh._

_Above all, what he could not truly forget was her face._

_The gentle face of his beloved Queen, with her deep blue eyes looking so kindly at him and a soft smile, saying, 'Everything will be alright, my dear Arthur'._

_Remembering it __m__ade his heart clench__ i__n guilt and frustration. Tears began to form in his eyes and slowly slide down his cheeks._

"_I'm sorry…" Arthur muttered._

_He didn't know to whom or what __h__e was apologizing for. He had known that this would happen, and though he had tried everything to prevent it, his efforts had not been enough to thwart destiny. _

_Arthur gently embraced the sleeping child he held in his arms, seeking comfort and assurance; its soft wavy blonde locks touched his cheeks and he felt the child's little body through its white cloth._

_It was only in that moment he realized that in a very young age; the sleeping child oblivious to what happened had encountered such drastic fate that took everything away from him._

_He will do whatever it takes to protect this child and raise him with all the knowledge of their kind._

_And lastly, fulfill the pledge he sworn._

_Arthur felt his eyes closing as sleep finally claimed him and fell into oblivion._

* * *

Green eyes snapped open as the sun's light bathed them warmth.

"Bloody hell…" Arthur grumbled in annoyance and covered his face with his blanket.

He was about to fall asleep again when he heard loud laughter and chattering. He shuffled around in his bed and placed a pillow over his head to block the noises but it kept on getting louder and louder until he finally gave up returning on his sleep.

Grumpily, he forced himself to rise and put on his white shirt before walking towards the window to see what was causing the ruckus below.

Arthur shielded his eyes from the blinding rays of the sun with one hand and blinked a few times to clear his blurred vision.

Across the vast green field, people were coming through the tall black fence gate with luggage in their hands. Though most of them were young men, there were a few females mixed in the crowd. He recognized a few old faces and saw new ones too.

A lot of new ones.

"What the hell is going on?" Arthur muttered in confusion.

His attention turned to a particular group of young men running and shouting words Arthur couldn't make any sense of. He glared at them, particularly at a certain blonde lad with glasses on its face. He was laughing in an obnoxious manner and Arthur had a huge urge to jump down from his second floor room to punch him in the guts to shut him up or maybe just throw something light and sharp to save him from the trouble.

The group noticed Arthur's glare directly pointed at them and one of them tapped the lad's shoulder then pointed his finger at Arthur. The lad changed his expression into utter confusion and turned around to see what they were pointing at.

For an instant their eyes met, and Arthur's eyes widened a little when he saw how clear and bright that lad's eyes were. They were like the combination of a clear sky and the brilliance of a sapphire. He felt a tinge of melancholy; somehow, he felt like he had seen those eyes before.

The lad's face slowly broke into a huge smile as he waved both arms at him. Arthur suddenly pulled the blue curtains together, blocking the view from his sight.

"What just happened?"

His heart was thumping loud and fast and he could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. He drew a deep breath to calm himself.

Well… So much for scenery viewing

* * *

Murmurs filled the wide hallway as the tip-tap of polished brown boots echoed against the smooth concrete floor. The crowd of students parted to make way for the blonde student with an air of elegance and respect surrounding him. Every step he took was overflowing with pride and confidence. His head held high with a blank expression on his face and his emerald eyes glared at anybody who dared to get in his way.

Eyes averted from him, but the whispering continued in low tones as if the students were hoping that he wouldn't hear it. But he could clearly hear them all. Every word they spoke was filled with either fear, jealousy or hatred. He should have been used to it by now but it still bothered him in one way or another, especially every time he heard that bloody name.

The School Demon Eyebrows.

His eyebrows were FINE, damn it, why could not they understand?!

He was on the verge of tearing those imbeciles into pieces, burning this wretched place down, or possibly both, but he knew he could not do that. Annoying as they were, they were just innocent students trying to piss him off. The best thing he could do for now was to wear a blank face, pretending he did not care in the least and carrying on with his life.

'Keep calm and carry on, Arthur' was his motto in life.

* * *

Upon walking into the open field, fresh air welcomed him, gently caressing his golden locks and tunic. The sunshine completely bathed him in warmth and birds were chirping above. He breathed deeply, taking in the moment of stillness, and began walking at a slow pace.

He didn't know why he felt so relaxed today, considering he had only one hour left before his class started. On a usual day, he would have been waking up half an hour before his class started, rushing through his morning routine of grooming, eating, and preparing for the day.

Arthur gazed at the wide green field on his right. There were several white stone benches scattered under the trees' shades. Half a mile away from the benches was a field used for physical activities; there, a massive tree stood tall and proud above a gently sloping hill.

An idea struck his mind and his lips curled into a little smile.

'That would be the perfect place to relax.'

He began to make plans to spend his free time there, and if anyone had already claimed it, which he highly doubted, a little talk was all he needed to make them leave and never return.

Turning his gaze back to the path in front of him, he suddenly noticed three figures sitting on one of the benches. They were laughing hysterically and Arthur felt a nerve twitch in his head.

'Bloody eyesores' he thought, gritting his teeth in annoyance.

A bloody perfect sight to start his day with, and he hadn't even had his precious tea  
yet.

He would never forget what those three had done to him when he had first met them, and never would he forgive them.

Pulling himself together, Arthur strode in a very fast pace, praying to the gods above and the demons for the trio not to notice him. He had a lot of things to do and getting his precious tea was his first priority.

Heavens above. What had he done to deserve this?

Arthur flinched and felt his temper rising when he heard them calling him.

"Hey! Arthur! Fancy seeing you here!"

"Ahh~ Mon cher, what a waste to have that grumpy face on such a lovely day~"

"Come and join us, Amigo! I've brought a lot of delicious tomatoes today! This will surely make you happy!"

"And perhaps make your eyebrows normal! Kesese!"

His temper was now at peak and ready to burst, but he clenched his fist and muttered his motto over and over again like a mantra. Luckily, he was favoured by the heavens and the demons were kept at bay, so he just settled for turning around and giving them a cold and deadly glare.

Gilbert, Francis and Antonio were sitting beside each other. They were known as the Bad Friends Trio (or the Three Idiots in Arthur's opinion) and were famous for their very creative pranks and generous 'helping hands' according to some anonymous source. He wasn't too sure if he believed the helping hands part. They were pissing him off from the simplest thing to daring him into a fight which they end up beaten to a pulp. He will never back down on a fight.

Arthur turned his back and gave them the finger, which made the three burst into laughter.

* * *

The chaotic and buzzing atmosphere of the school's dining place startled Arthur. He stood in front of the open glass door with wide eyes, looking like a dumbfounded fool as he stared at the dozens of unfamiliar faces packed the place, eating here and there while talking and giggling over some matters.

He had never seen this place full before.

'So what the hell is really going on?!'

A tap on his shoulder turned his attention from the horrendous scene to a dark-skinned lad with dark hair and a black dot in the middle of his forehead. He was clad in a waiter's uniform and Arthur immediately recognized him. He was Neeraja Patel, or simply Neer and he had been serving Arthur since he had become the top student.

Neer gave Arthur a short bow and smiled. "Good morning, Sir Arthur. We have already reserved a seat for you. I'll show you the way."

Arthur followed Neer to a more secluded area outside though the crowd and passersby could still see him through the half glass wall on the right side of the dining place.

"May I get your order, Sir Arthur?" Neer asked after Arthur had settled himself into the chair.

"The usual, please"

Neer bowed and walked away. Arthur stared at the grass field, but he could feel the eyes on him and hear their murmurs.

They could envy all they wanted but he knew he deserved this. Topping everyone on everything had not been an easy task for him and being treated with such service was one of his privileges of being the top student. He was going to enjoy every second of it as long as he was in this place… including the food.

Speaking of food, his attention turned when the waiter announced its arrival and began serving his breakfast. He could smell the sweet aroma of tea as it was poured into a fine china teacup. He thanked Neer before the lad left.

Sipping his warm tea, he was reminded of the tea Matthew used to make back at home. A wave of nostalgia washed over him; months had passed since the last time he had gone home. He wondered how's Matthew doing. Arthur shouldn't be bothered so much now that Matthew was a fully matured grown up. He had done a good job in raising him after all. Though, this was not the first time Matthew had been apart from him ever since that tragedy, he still could not stop worrying. If only there had been another way, then…

His thoughts were suddenly cut off when he felt the intruding presence of three persons. This was confirmed when he heard the sound of the chairs being pulled cautiously against the grass and the soft thud in the table as if they were trying not to make a sound which obviously failing. Then he heard low whispers and stifled giggles and he certainly did not like the sound of those voices.

Arthur gently put his teacup down and glared at the three idiots smiling at him.

"What do you want?" Arthur asked in a bitter voice.

"It seems that you are in need of someone to accompany you~" Francis said, twirling his ribbon-tied hair.

"So we decided to join you on your breakfast!" Antonio continued with a grin cheery enough to bring even the surliest person out of the dark mood.

But Arthur was not the slightest bit affected. In fact, his mood soured even more the longer the three remained in his sight.

'Give me a break,' Arthur thought, taking a deep breath to calm down. 'What did these three idiots think they were doing?'

He heard them babbling again about the activities they will make for the upcoming days.

Suddenly, a thought pop in his mind.

Maybe, just maybe, he would endure them for a while, if only to help him learn what was going on. He was definitely not going to ask and risk looking like a fool who wasn't paying attention on the announcement posted on the bulletin board which hanged in almost every hallway. He did looked, though he quiet couldn't remembered anything that's written on it. Not everyone would be able to recall everything they've done, especially after a whole day of exhausting classes.

"Fine then, I'll let you accompany me for a while."

The three immediately stopped chattering and looked at him with incredulous eyes. Then, Gilbert broke into a fit of his strange-sounding laughter.

"Kesesese! I knew it! You really want to hangout with us!"

"Be-belt up, you twat! It's not like I really want to hangout with you! It's just that I still have time before my class starts!" Arthur retorted, face flushing in embarrassment.

The three burst into laughter, annoying Arthur even more.

"W-what are you talking about, Mon cher? We don't have classes today! Have you forgotten? Today is the Freshmen's examination and tomorrow will be their commemoration! So, we have two days free to do whatever we want!" Francis said, gripping his stomach to stop himself from laughing.

Oh.

Oohh… That was the reason he was feeling so calm today. His mind must have forgotten the post announcement but his body subconsciously remembered not to act in his usual schedule since there are no classes.

Then that meant… all the new faces he had seen were freshmen?!

"Isn't it exciting?! We have more freshmen students! The more students, the more hunters this school will produce and the more witches we can kill! Kesesese!" Gilbert shouted excitedly, gathering a few looks from the passersby.

"Well, that is, unless they passed the initial exam," Antonio said.

"The exam was just as easy as taking a walk in the garden, my friends. I'm sure they will all pass," Francis added.

Arthur unintentionally slammed his teacup onto the saucer, catching the trio's attention. His eyes were wide in disbelief. Feeling a slight tremor in his hands, he clenched them into fists underneath the table so that they would not see.

"Pardon me, but I just remembered that I had some urgent things to do." Arthur forced his voice to be calm as he stood up.

"What?! I thought you were going to hangout with us! We still have two days vacant! Is it really that important?!" Gilbert protested. "We even planned our activities..."

But Arthur heard none of it as he walked hurriedly towards the front building, where he saw more new students pranced the stoned pathway leading into a huge, old school built in red bricks with white-rimmed windows. The two huge oak doors were open to welcome the students, and once in, their lives would be changed forever.

This school was unlike any other school they would have seen in town. Here, they would be trained to use all kinds of combat techniques and weapons. Lectures would also be given about the history of ancient rivals, medicine, and they will be put in a situation where they have to analyze and create strategy. All of this training would serve to enhance their physical and mental fitness, stretch their limits, and raise their chances of survival.

Anybody could join if they were old enough and had the guts to withstand the gruel training.

Arthur knew that while some of them had come to learn how to protect their loved ones or serve their beloved country, yet others had come in selfish pursuit of fame, power, and money. He also knew that others were driven by the thirst of revenge.

They each had their own reasons for attending the school, but all of them were there with only one goal.

To learn how to hunt and kill Witches.

He had been at this school for a year, enduring all the harsh training and overloaded lectures and even becoming the top student. But with this many students learning to hunt a witches, he would have a little hard time concealing his presence and magic.

For a witch like him should not be in this school in the first place.

* * *

A/N: Hello guys! I hope you liked the revised version. As you can see, I took a lot from the previous version and added new things. Let me know what you think and feel free to review!

Neer Patel- human name of India. I know he doesn't have a canon name yet, so I did some research and found that this was the common name use for him.


End file.
